$500 Reward for Graffiti Info

Ronnie Polaneczky, Daily News Columnist

Got this email from Fishtown's A.J. Thompson, on behalf of the Friends of Penn Treaty Park. If you know who the perps are, why not earn yourself some quick cash? Because this is a disgrace.

"This week, a group of cowards crept into Penn Treaty Park in the middle of the night and defaced the statue of William Penn, the stone circles surrounding his monument and the old Treaty Tree area and large areas of the walkway around the park. This vandalism will cost thousands of dollars to remove - if we are even able to do so. The stone that surrounds the monument and the monument itself is very sensitive and paint is not easily removed from it.

"To date, groups of pathetic, attention-starved vandals have hit the park many times. They have never risen to this level of destruction.

"This is why the Friends of Penn Treaty Park are offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of any individual connected to the recent graffiti incident at the park. Please call police with any information or if you want email info@penntreatypark.org.

"This act has threatened the remaining programs at the park for this year, as the cost of cleaning up after these criminals was not in our budget. Grafiti is not art. It is a crime. When a selfish, petulant person chooses to deface a monument to the founder of our Commonwealth at the place of its founding, it is a crime against all of us, not just the park.

"Please view the graffiti in these photos on this email or on our website at www.penntreatypark.org or take a look for yourselves at the acts perpetrated against the park and all it stands for. It will make you angry. It will make you sad. It has certainly done so to the Friends. However, we will not stop until these individuals are caught and the monuments and the park are restored to their glory."

Again, the contact email is info@penntreatypark.org. Or call me at the Daily News - 215-854-2217 - and I'll get you in touch with A.J. The Friends have worked too hard on this lovely park to let vandals mock their efforts with impunity.

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When my phone rings here at the Daily News, nine times out of ten the caller begins the conversation with, “Yeah, so what happened was…”.

Because this is Philly, the caller doesn’t say, “My name is Bob” – or Mary – “and I wonder if I could have a moment of your time?” Philadelphians are too direct for that. They just say, “Yeah, so what happened was…”, and then tumble into a tale they think oughta be shared with a wider audience. I love getting these calls (even the ones where it becomes clear, after 30 seconds, where the caller sowed the seeds of his own misery), because they give me chance to connect with fellow citizens in a way that no other job allows. Well, okay, no other job for which I’m remotely qualified.

That’s why my blog is titled “So What Happened Was…”. To me, it’s the quintessentially Philly way of saying, “Once upon a time.” When I hear it, I know a good story is coming. And I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Ronnie Polaneczky has been an award-winning columnist for The Philadelphia Daily News since 1999, offering a front-steps perspective on every aspect of city life, from the sublime to the stupid. In her past life, she was the editor-in-chief of Atlantic City Magazine, associate editor at Philadelphia Magazine and a fulltime freelancer published in Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Reader's Digest, Men's Health, MarieClaire and others. She lives with her husband, daughter and various pets in the city's Fairmount section, where she dreams of one day singing The National Anthem at an Eagles game. In addition to her column and blog, you can enjoy Ronnie's musings in podcast form here.